Stranger Things has gradually been expanding the time between each new season, which is indicative of the show's biggest issues. When the show initially came out in 2016, Stranger Things was the thing that put Netflix on the map for a lot of people. Despite the company existing since 1997, and going through various evolutions, the switch to making and releasing original content was a masterstroke. And it wasn't until Stranger Things came to the streamer that the shift really began to take effect.

Now, Netflix releases an incredible amount of original content every year, though it's also just as quick to cut and cancel when shows don't meet their exacting standards. However, Stranger Things has continued to have larger and longer windows between each new season, which makes the audience experience significantly worse, and has allowed studios to take a far more lenient and slack approach when producing TV shows.

Stranger Things Season 5’s Release Window Is A Reminder Of How Big The Show Has Become

Stranger Things Was An Integral Part Of Netflix's Success

The first season of Stranger Things debuted in July 2016. After seeing the series take off, and recognizing its potential, Netflix greenlit a second season, and within a fairly fast turnaround for the small publisher at the time, the second season came out the following year, albeit in October, which means the entire time between seasons was roughly 16 months. That isn't terrible as a turnaround, but there was a time when shows would have a set period they came out in, and they would manage a new season each year.

Despite Netflix's astronomical growth, however, the gaps between seasons continue to get longer, not shorter, with season 3 coming out nearly three years later, another almost three years to season 4, and with no release date announced for Stranger Things season 5, it appears to be at least a three-year gap, if not more. While it is a positive thing that the show and the stars have gotten increasingly more popular with each new season, it's hard to ignore that the long wait between seasons has not helped to keep excitement and anticipation for new seasons at anything close to a peak. Instead, fans have to put that excitement to bed until some sliver of news comes about a new season years later.

Stranger Things Might Have Become Too Big For Its Own Good

Stranger Things Has Been A Victim Of Its Own Success Over The Last Decade

Stranger Things has been the flagship show for Netflix, and it allowed them to find incredible stars like Millie Bobby Brown, who now continues to work closely with the company on other projects. It succeeded in making a culturally relevant phenomenon that has viewers hooked, but it also keeps trying to up the ante to seemingly impossible new heights. Stranger Things started out as an intriguing sci-fi horror show in a basement with kids who play D&D, whereas the latest seasons see them traveling around the world and fighting various government bodies in addition to evil monster mutants.

And yes, it's managed to keep up the pace so far, but it does seem like Stranger Things season 5 is going to have a much more challenging time keeping the audience engaged, especially after such a long wait, unless it can do something really special. And this is not helped by the fact that the show's narrative is taking place over a short span of time, while the actors continue to increasingly age beyond being remotely believable as young kids.

Stranger Things’ Final Season Will Have To Meet Gigantic Expectations After Such A Long Wait

Things Keep Getting Bigger In Stranger Things With Each New Episode

Stranger Things season 4 ended on a huge cliffhanger with the town of Hawkins becoming a literal hellscape. Monsters roam through the streets, and the ground opens up into the Upside Down. This cannot be glazed over or ignored, and it means the final season needs to pick up at a point that positions it years earlier, after a huge catastrophe, and immediately launch into a full-scale invasion. So how can the show increase the tension beyond that point?

While the final season should do a lot to send off the characters, deliver a satisfying resolution, and resolve the big mysteries that still remain, it's backed itself into a corner with the need to resolve wild and fantastic plot points that might look cool, but do precious little to wrap up the show. With each episode and finale trying to outdo the last, the final season risks becoming a farce, but if it can somehow deliver grounded storytelling and character development alongside the apocalypse breaking loose in Hawkins, then maybe Stranger Things season 5 stands a chance of success.